Cibcttlas-xnitting machine



G. S. WEINERTH.

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11, I921.

Patented Feh.14, 1922.

2 snsaTs-s'nsn 1.

G. S. WEINERTH.

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. l7. 192l- Patented F611. 14, 1922.

2 swans-sum 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE S. WEINERTH, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA.

CIRCULAR-KNITTING- IMACHINE.

T 0 all w ham it may 0002 cam Be it known that I, Gunner. S. \VEINERTH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Reading, in the county of Berks and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Circular-Knitting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to circular knitting machines and my object is to provide improved mechanism whereby a high spliced heel and reenforced sole may be readily provided by the insertion of an additional thread or yarn and a neat and finished appearance insured by the positive engagementof the additional thread or yarn by determined needles only. The invention is fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings and the novel features are pointed out in the claims.

Fig. 1 shows in vertical section, on the line 11 of Fig. 2, a portion of a well known type of knitting machine in connection with a preferred embodiment of my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the same on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a developed interior view of the cam block indicating the needle courses.

Fig. 1 is a View looking in the direction of the arrow 4 in Fig. 1 indicating the thread carrier fingers and differently raised needles.

Fig. 5 is a separate view of the reversely movable side portion of the top center cam and its operating device.

To form a high splice heel or re-enforced foot of a stocking an extra thread is introduced into the regular circular knitting for a part of each circular course. This has been accomplished by raising and lowering the guide finger which carries the extra thread, during successive revolutions of the needle cylinder, so that it will be in position to feed to determined needles only during such revolutions; but the avoidance of any objectionable irregularity in the product calls for a certainty of engagement with the determined needles in each course which is best attained by a proper separation of such needles from the others during their engagement by the reenforcing thread. The main objects of my invention are to provide for eifecting such separations and enabling the thread finger to remain in fixed feeding position during the high-splicing operation.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb. 14 1922 Application filed March 17, 1921.

Serial No. 453,024.

In the well known type of machine inclicated. the needles employed to engage the extra or reenforcing thread are the shorth utt needles 20; and I have provided a special construction of the knitting cams to properly divide them at the yarn feeding point for the receiving of the reenforcin thread, while the regular lmitting thread engages all of the needles.

Referring to the drawings the usual right and left stitch cams 10 and 11, the center levelling cam 12, and the needle rest 13, are employed in well known manner, but I have provided a specially constructed and operated top center cam. This comprises a main cam portion 15 and a side portion 16, both of which are radially movable toward and away from the needle cylinder 17, independently of the movement of the ent re knitting cam head 18. These cam portlons 15 and 16 are made toalways move in reverse directions, so that only one will project at a time sufficiently to engage the short butt needles 20; the long butt needles 21 always contacting with and being depressed by the main portion 15 which is withdrawn only suiiiciently to clear the short butt needles, while the cam portion 16 when in withdrawn position clears both the long and short butts. In Fig. 3 I have indicated in dotted lines the respective paths 52-1 and 20 of the long and short butt needles when the main center cam 15 is withdrawn and the side center cam 16 is projected; showing the depressing of the long butt needles by the main cam portion 15 before the short butt needles are depressed by the side portion 16 thereof, whereby a prolonged feeding elevation of the short butt needles only is secured. The thread guide finger 25 which carries the reenforcing thread is provided as shown with an adjustably set guide eye 26, to permit of locating the thread as close as possible to the short butt needles when it is lowered to operative position as controlled by the adjustable screw 26 and it may remain in this fixed position durin the reenforcing operation as its threat cannot be engaged excepting when the main center cam 1:") is withdrawn so as to permit the short butt needles to continue in elevated position until they strike the projected side ments ol the top center cam portions 15 and 16 is as follows: The main cam portion 15 is provided with a longitudinal slot 15 to slidably engage a top guide-rib 18 on the ca m head 18; to which latter it is loosely held by screws 80 so as to permit of a limited radial movement of the cam portion 15 on the head 18. And the cam portion 16 is similarly slidable in a slot 31 (Fig. 2) 01": the head 18. To provide for imparting simultaneous but reverse movements,of different extent, to the cam portions 15 and 16, a-lever 32 ispivotcd to the cam head 18 with its longer arm engaged in a slot 16 of the cam portion 16 and its shorter arm engaged in a slot 15 of the main cam portion 15; so that movement imparted to one of said cam portions will reversely move the other. As shown such movement is imparted to the cam portion 16 by means oi a vertically slidable operating device 10 guided in the cam-head extensionblock 18 ,andhavingawedge-faceefl hearing against the end 16 of cam portion 16; a spring 42 being arranged to normally retract the latter and to correspondingly project the main cam portion 15, and a spring 43 normally raising said operating device 10.

These reverse movements of the cam portions 15, 16 are automatically effected at proper times by a pattern wheel a5, through alever 46 and connection 17 operating a sliding finger 48 vertically slidable in the I frame bracket 19; said finger bearing upon the spring-raised device 4:0 to depress the latter when the lever 46 is correspondingly swung by the pattern wheel.

The thread guide fingers indicated are lowered and raised to operative or inoperative position by automatically operated levers 50, 51' asusual; but such movements of the reentorcing thread 'finger 25 are not required or efi'ected in each course of the reenforced portion of the fabric to determine the particular needles to be engaged by its thread, this being determined solely by the elevating of such needles above the others at the engaging point as has been described, with resulting certainty asto uniformity of the product as well as avoidance of the rapidly repeated operation of the needle finger.

WVhat I claim is:

1. In combination with a needle cylinder provided with relatively long-butt and shortbutt needles and with cam mechanism ther for; a top needle-lowering cam comprising a radiallyi'movablecentral portion and a movable side portion operative with said central portion but in reverse direction thereto.

2. In combination with a needle cylinder provided with relatively long-butt'and shortbutt needles and with cam mechanism there for; atop needle-lowering cam comprising a central portion which is radially movable to clear the short-butt needles only, and a side portion-operative with said central portion but in reverse direction thereto and sufficiently to clear both long-butt andshortbuttv needles when in retracted position.

3. In combination with a needle cylinder provided with relatively longbutt and shortbutt needles and with cam mechanism therefor; a top needle-lowering cam comprising a radially movable central portion and a movable side port-ionoperative with said central portion but in reverse direction thereto; and areenforcing-thre'ad carrierfinger fixedly arranged to supply determined needles during the withdrawal of said central cam portion and simultaneous projection'of said movable side cam portion.

In testimony whereof I 'a-flix my signature.

S. WEINERTH. 

